Page 87 of Gifted Destiny

The remaining two men beside the other me are completely unfamiliar. Although they’re handsome and fit, I’m not attracted to either of them.

“You’re supposed to be me?” Z’s drawl is casually dismissive as she studies my men. Her eyes linger on Garrett’s increased musculature before pausing on Avery. “The blind vampire?” She shudders dramatically. “Even a different me wouldn’t pick that freak.”

I bare my teeth in a low warning growl. No one insults my mates, and the anger overwhelms my surprise that she knows who I am. Avery’s emotions don’t waver, and I recall that he’s dealt with this and worse his entire life. The realization doesn’t diminish my need to protect him.

“Is that what you’ll look like when you shift, babe?” one of the strangers asks my double. He stares at me, focused on something other than my leg, with awe and appreciation. Why hasn’t she shifted? I was a toddler the first time.

I recognize the fear that flickers briefly in Z’s expression. Just like my injury, this single characteristic defines her. As much as I dislike this Z, I deliberately change the subject.

“You aren’t surprised to see us,” I say.

Relief flares briefly in Z’s gaze, but she won’t admit it. Instead, her chin lifts and she crosses her arms over her chest. “We were warned of the possibility. I’d hoped to avoid it entirely, but Mother stepped out at the wrong time. She’ll be here soon.”

My chest aches in response to her casual tone; she takes having a mother for granted. Will Karasi – K – offer me a glimpse of my mother, or will they be as different as Z and I? Also … out? They must experience freedom from threats in their strangely altered reality.

“I can’t believe you actually skipped time. That’s gnarly, man. How’d you do it?” The mirror copy of Bren flips his hair again. If my eyes were closed, I wouldn’t recognize this man as my mate’s copy. His accent combines surfer-dude and stoner … although these might be the same.

I don’t know what our magic did anymore, but I don’t want these souls to know we summoned a Timekeeper. My mates share my reluctance, and we dawdle long enough that we’re interrupted before we can formulate a response.

“I’ll take care of this. Zosia, return to your training.” The newcomer speaks before rounding the corner, and I curse our position. We’re opposite from the entrance, and it leaves us vulnerable. Garrett and Avery must agree because they both stiffen with readiness. Bren is quiet, and I hope he’ll have answers for me when we return.

“But … Mo-o-om!” Z’s shrill whine causes my sensitive ears to flatten against my head.

“Now, Zosia.” The words are clearly a command. My double actually stomps her foot on the stone rooftop before skulking towards the door. She doesn’t give us a second glance, and her partners follow with similar reluctance. Their movements don’t hint at the bond I have with my mates.

Despite my attempts at preparation, my body still trembles when the woman rounds the corner. She is an older version of the framed photo in the legend room, but I see myself in her far more easily than I did in Ansel. Her hair, a darker brown than mine, is swept into an elegant chignon, and her beautifulfeatures are highlighted by minimal cosmetics. Similar to her daughter’s attire, her clothes are expensive but practical.

Is this an accurate representation of my mom if she’d lived to adulthood? I pictured her style as more bohemian than that of a rich socialite. The woman stops in the same place her daughter stood and studies us with her gold-flecked blue eyes. After the stairwell door clicks shut, her eyes blur briefly. Intuitively, I understand that she’s communicating with her mates. I doubt she can communicate with this magicless building.

“I apologize for not being here to greet you. Although we were given notice of your arrival, that was months ago. My mates convinced me that it was pointless to sit here and wait for you. Jonathan is saying farewell to his boys, and then he and my mates will join me. I wanted a moment of privacy with you first.”

I can’t even take inJonathan and his boysbecause my mind is caught by other words. “Why would you wait?” I’m so confused that I sink onto my haunches for the first time since we arrived – if that’s the correct term.

Garrett takes a step to the side to permit me more room, and his action reveals that he doesn’t consider K a threat. I’m relieved at his assessment because I’m probably not thinking clearly.

“I didn’t believe it,” she sighs while studying my hind legs. My injury is more pronounced when I’m sitting. “Where was your mother? How could any version of me allow her child to suffer such a horrible injury?” Her obvious distress strikes me like a physical blow. I’ve always craved a mother, especially when I was the most pained. Seeing what could have been is heart-wrenching.

“My mother died shortly after my birth.” Although I struggle to act unaffected, my voice cracks. Garrett growls low in his throat as K steps forward, but I don’t believe she would harm my mates or me. This might not be a true library, but she thinks itis, and her oath is the same as mine. We’ve both sworn to protect the library’s caretakers.

I recognize the sphinx beneath her graceful movements as she crouches in front of me. Her eyes, so similar to mine, sparkle through unshed tears.

“Oh, child, I am so sorry you grew up without a mother.” The genuine emotion in her voice provokes my carefully restrained tears. Several slide down my cheek and are absorbed into the fur at my collarbone.

“Your daughter’s attitude might argue against any benefit,” Garrett says gruffly. My mates have edged closer to me, their stances protective. They feel my pain, but they might also share in it. None of them had loving parents either.

Instead of being offended, K laughs wryly. She stands again and takes a step back as a gesture of respect. “The Zosia you just met was also raised without a full-time mother, albeit in a different way. My mates thought sending her to boarding school at a young age would be beneficial to her temperament. They eventually wore me down with arguments about how the rest of her life would be spent here.” She looks away, but her regret and pain are still apparent. “I’ve spent every day since then wishing I could remake that decision, but our problems started earlier than that.”

Silence punctuates the moments between us. I’m about to ask for clarification on her problems when she speaks again. “You have a fourth guardian, right?”

My chest aches with the reminder of Kodi’s muted absence, but I nod. “Kodi is a ghost. He was deemed unfit for travel.” This is another clue regarding the truth of this massive attempt at subterfuge, but it’s nearly impossible to piece together with all of this distraction.”

“A ghost?” K’s shock is genuine.

Since our target isn’t here yet, I decide that a brief explanation wouldn’t hurt anything. “Jonathan Addington captured me as a young child. Under his orders, I was tortured for years. Their goal was to steal my magic and my birth-given connection to the library. Kodi was my only companion and light in the darkness of that horrible nightmare. He saved me when I was on the brink of death and managed to free me from the dungeon, but he was torn apart by Addington’s wolf before he could join me. He didn’t go on to the afterlife, however. We both lost our memories, but he rejoined me in a magicless orphanage for my adolescent years. After I signed my contract with the library and accepted my birthright, we both regained our memories again.”

K’s eyes are as large as saucers by the end of my story. I realize it sounds fantastical, but I lived through it. Sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction … as Mark Twain once said.

“We’ve been told that the Jonathan in your timeline committed atrocious crimes, but this is beyond my imagining.”

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